Aspirations

chapter 184

There was a tall horse at the gate of the county yamen, and there was a man on the horse. Although he was dressed as an eunuch, he was gallant and heroic, quite heroic.

"Xia Xiang accepts the order."

Xia Xiang didn't dare to look at the man on horseback, seeing him holding the imperial edict in his hand, he immediately responded: "I accept the edict."

"Chi Xiaxiang: When the emperor builds a country, he must choose talents and appoint them; if the princes have meritorious service, they will add land and advance to the law. I hold the handle of civil and military affairs, and I am the supreme in China. Famous and selfless, loyal and labor is my genus. Xia Xiang, the magistrate of Zhending County, Benevolent and courageous, with capital, safe for the people, governing the government, a special grant of 100 taels of silver, plus 48 stones for the year-old rice. I hope you will enjoy the nobleness forever, and don’t forget the oath. You will encourage the previous cultivation and call it dependent.”

"Thank you, Your Majesty." Xia Xiang got up to receive the decree, thinking that the emperor is really stingy, and only rewarded him with 100 taels of silver and 48 shimi, and the money he transported back to Beijing from the underground bank for the emperor was worth millions. If it is more, it can offset the tax of a government for a year.

But Xia Xiang just thought about it, so he didn't dare to really disrespect the emperor.

"Mr. Xia Lang, do you see who I am?"

Xia Xiang took the target, and was about to say a few polite words to the angel, when he suddenly heard the angel speak, the voice was somewhat familiar, he couldn't help being taken aback, looked up, and met the angel's bright and curious eyes.

"You, you, are you Shi'er?" Xia Xiang was stunned on the spot, unable to believe his eyes, how could it be Shi'er?But the smiling person in front of him is clearly Shi'er.

"Do you still know Shi'er? Do you still remember Shi'er? Brother Xia, Shi'er finally saw you again, huh..." Shi'er cried as soon as he said he wanted to cry, regardless of the presence of other people, he would cry while lying on Xia Xiang's body, "I almost don't see Brother Xia anymore."

Zheng Shan, Ma Zhanguo and the others were stunned. The angel delivering the decree was a woman, which is enough to surprise people. What is even more surprising is that she hugged Xia Xianzun and cried bitterly when they met. love debt?
Xia Xiang looked at Shi'er a few times, and Shi'er was a little thinner than before, but he had grown a little taller, his palm-sized face was covered with tears, and he looked so pitiful, which made people feel distressed.He asked softly: "Why don't I remember you, Shier, how did you become an angel, how did you come to Zhending?"

"It's hard to say." Shi'er sighed, and pulled Xia Xiang's hand, "Come on, Brother Xia, let's go inside and talk." Abandoning Zheng Shan, Ma Zhanguo and others looked at each other in blank dismay.

In the study, Zheng Shan sat at the top, Xia Xiang and Shi'er accompanied at the bottom, and the rest of them sat on both sides, listening to Shi'er talking non-stop.

"My brother went to Rehe to serve as magistrate, and I went there together. Later, my brother was ordered to return to Beijing and entered Xingwang's mansion at night. He wanted me to marry Xingwang as his side concubine, so I didn't want to marry Xingwang. It’s not good, but the unfathomable eyes made people look scared. I didn’t agree with anything, and my brother got angry and asked me to go back to Jianning. I didn’t want to go back, so I had a fight with my brother..." Shi'er sometimes frowns and sometimes looks sad, making people feel pity, she suddenly smiled again, "Fortunately, I met Shen Langjun and Teng Langjun, or else I would be living on the street."

"Shen Bao and Teng Zhengyuan?" Xia Xiang remembered the scene when he and the two met in the capital, and couldn't help smiling, "Brother Shen and Brother Teng are both kind-hearted, with similar temperaments. After a few months in the capital, it will be a long time." I don't know how the two of them are doing now?"

"It's all very well. They both asked me to take care of you. Teng Langjun especially asked me to hand over a letter." Shi'er took out a letter from his bosom and smiled, "The letter is not sealed yet. , I accidentally took a few glances, brother Xia, don't be angry, there is no secret in the letter."

Xia Xiang couldn't help laughing. He took the letter in his hand and opened it. There were only a few words: "My son said, I judge people by their words, and those who lose them will kill them; I judge people by their appearance, and those who lose their feathers. The ancients also said that the wise change with time. "The Doctrine of the Mean" also says that the destiny is called the nature, the willfulness is called the way, and the cultivation of the way is called teaching. The way is also called, you can't leave it for a moment; What he does not see, fears what he does not hear. There is nothing to see or hide, nothing to show or insignificant. Therefore, a gentleman is careful about his independence. Teng Mou said, the capital is farewell, I miss Brother Xia very much, and look forward to reuniting in the future. Let's have a drink."

Shi'er poked his head over, and Bai Ruyu's fingers pointed at the letter: "Brother Xia, Shi'er has read a lot, I can't understand what Teng Lang-jun's letter means."

Xia Xiang chuckled: "Brother Teng said that when he met me for the first time before, he judged people by their words and their appearance, which was biased. Later, when he heard what I did in Zhending, he was very impressed by my moderation, which changes from time to time. Finally, he persuaded me that a gentleman should not be separated from Tao even for a moment, and he must always be trembling, as if facing an abyss, as if walking on thin ice, and be cautious of being alone."

"So it's like this... Teng Lang-jun is too worried, really, how should brother Xia be an official, should he take care of it?" Shi'er wrinkled his nose in disbelief, and said, "Forget it, let's not talk about Teng Lang. Jun bad words, although he is a bit straighter, but he has integrity, he is a good person, much better than his elder brother. My elder brother only wants to pursue his career, only want to cling to the powerful, and become the star king's pawn. Now the star king cares about others, not only I accepted my elder brother and promised to let him be the servant of the Zhongshu sect in the future, my elder brother was overjoyed and willing to be driven by Xingwang."

It is not surprising that Zhang Hou came to Xingwang's sect in order to be promoted. Although Xia Xiang is saddened by Zhang Hou's servile behavior, he also knows that Zhang Hou's heart is higher than the sky, and he wants to compete with him and Shen Bao. However, it is not a bad thing to have a competitive heart, and it is understandable to go to each side of the road, but to seek a future through opportunism is just the fate of pawns and cannon fodder.

"A few days ago, my elder brother was transferred back to the capital by Star King and served as the head of the Ministry of Officials. Mr. Shen Lang also came out of the Imperial Academy and served as the head of the Ministry of War. Lord Teng Lang is still the censor." Shi'er knew that Xia Xiang was very concerned about the personnel changes in the capital. , brought the latest trends, "Mr. Li Dingshan was still Yushi Zhongcheng, but he was promoted to the sixth rank, but Song Shilang was changed to the official minister, and was promoted to the fifth rank. Also, Cao Shilang was also promoted to the fourth rank. Brother Xia, there are rumors in Jingzhong that the emperor has recovered from his illness and is revitalizing the court, I wonder if it is true?"

Xia Xiang's heart moved. A series of personnel changes can indeed show the emperor's layout. There are retreats and advances, which are clearly weakening Xingwang's power. Bao served as the head of the Ministry of War, which is also very meaningful.A few days ago, Xingwang urgently transferred Zhang Hou back to Beijing. It can be seen that the matter of Zhending had a great impact on Xingwang. Xingwang is redeploying troops to fill the gap left by the disbanded Zhending forces.

Xia Xiang smiled and said: "As an angel, you deliver the decree for the emperor. You should know the emperor's condition the most."

"Don't make fun of me, brother Xia, I am a fake angel. After entering the palace, I have never seen the emperor."

"Ah?" Zheng Shan was shocked when he heard the words, "What did you say? You are falsely spreading the imperial edict? Falsely preaching the imperial edict is a death penalty, come..."

"Don't make such a fuss, okay? I didn't pass on the imperial decree, do you think I'm so good-looking, do I look like a person who preached the imperial decree?" Shi'er gave Zheng Shan a dissatisfied look, "The thing is like this... …After I was taken in by Lord Shen and Lord Teng, Lord Shen recommended me to be a female official in the palace, as an official in charge of commanders, Dian Cong, administrative orders, liberal arts, seals, and playing instruments.”

"When did you become a female official in the palace, why doesn't this old man know?" Jin Jia and Ye Muping pushed the door in, and the first thing they said was that Shi'er said that she had become a senior official, and they couldn't help being surprised, "Yes." Recommended by Shen Bao?"

"Mr. Jin Jia, I just took office a few days ago. When I took office, it was decided that you would come out of Beijing. Of course I don't know." Shi'er hugged Jin Jia's arm and shook it a few times, "Mr. Your son was bullied, don't you feel bad?"

Jin Jia couldn't stand the woman's coquettishness the most, and immediately surrendered: "Shi'er, it's not that I don't care about you. Your quarrel with Zhang Hou is a family matter. How can I intervene as an outsider? Well, well, it's not all right now, there is With Shen Bao here, Teng Zhengyuan here, and Chang Guan here, Zhang Hou can't bully you."

"Hmph, even without them, I wouldn't let my brother bully me." Shi'er smiled confidently, "Not even a few days after I became a female officer, the regular servant asked me to deliver the decree and said this The imperial decree is up to me, I don’t know how to deliver the decree, Chang’s servant said again, I just need to come to Zhending with a few servants, as soon as I heard that I could see Brother Xia, I came here happily. When I arrived at Zhending Afterwards, several servants went to the government office, and let me come to the county office alone."

Chang Guan asked Shi'er to deliver the decree alone, there must be deep meaning, Xia Xiang asked: "Aside from delivering the decree, what else does Chang'er have to say?"

"If you don't tell me, I really forgot. The servant Chang really wants me to tell you alone." Shi'er turned his eyes and looked at the crowd, "Do you want to avoid it?"

Zheng Shan was amused by Shi'er: "If you really want to have something to say, you should tell Xia Xianzun privately, and you should not say it in person."

"I'm really ignorant, forget it, I'm not as knowledgeable as you." Shi'er didn't care who Zheng Shan was, she put her toes up, leaned into Xia Xiang's ear, and said in a low voice, "The servant Chang said that the emperor will not only meet you as scheduled." Come to Zhending for the southern tour, and also go to Xingzhou."

"That's all?" Xia Xiang was taken aback.

"That's all." Shi'er said innocently, "I don't understand why the servant Chang asked me to tell you that the emperor is going to Xingzhou. What are the interesting places in Xingzhou?"

The voice was so loud that everyone could hear it clearly.Shi'er realized the slip of the tongue, quickly covered his mouth, and looked embarrassed: "Oh, I'm sorry, the servant, I accidentally said it, and everyone heard it, you must not blame me, right?"

Everyone laughed.

Zheng Shan looked puzzled: "The emperor is really determined to go to Xingzhou again. There must be something strange about this matter. Could it be that he was forced by Xingwang to go to Xingzhou? The land of Xingzhou has neither mountains nor rivers. , Xing Wang wants to set up a situation that is as difficult as climbing the sky, what exactly does he want to do?"

Ye Muping chuckled: "People have thousands of calculations, but they are not equal to God's calculations."

"By the way, there's one more thing I almost forgot to say..." Shi'er waved her little hand to draw everyone's attention to what she said, "I also heard from the regular servant that this time the emperor's tour to the south is very powerful, not only the princes They are all accompanying, and there will be many civil and military officials coming together... Well, I have finished what I have to say, I am going to play, Brother Xia, where are Sister Lian, Sister Cao, and Sister Xiao?"

Xia Xiang asked Xiao Wuling Shi'er to go to Xiajiazhuang to find Lian Ruohan and others. He discussed with Zheng Shan and the others again, but they couldn't figure out what the emperor wanted to do when he went to Xingzhou. Jin Jia and Ye Muping Also dare not jump to conclusions.

Fuya, Cui Xiang's study.Cui Xiang sat on the medicine chair, the room was smoky and smelled of wormwood, his brows were tightly wrinkled, his face was serious, and his eyes were dull.

Tong Zhi Cheng Daotong, pusher Li Heng, and county magistrate Xu Heguang sat at the bottom, staring at Cui Xiang intently, waiting for Cui Xiang to speak.

After a long time, Cui Xiangcai seemed to come back from a fugue. He glanced blankly at the faces of several people, and suddenly laughed dryly: "Xu Xiancheng, you and Zheng Tong are interesting to judge, a county magistrate often comes to the mansion Ya, a general judge is always in the county government, it is most suitable for you two to exchange identities."

Xu Heguang smiled awkwardly. He was originally waiting for Cui Xiang to say something about the messenger from the palace, but after waiting for a long time, he opened his mouth as an insignificant joke. He couldn't help saying: "Master Cui, the servants have returned The capital is already in the capital, but they said it was a decree, but it was only a few words of commendation, which did not really bring rewards, and they traveled all the way just to pass a few words? What does it mean?"

Xu Heguang didn't understand what was going on today. Several servants came from afar, saying that there was an imperial edict, and Cui Xiang rushed to meet the order. In the end, the servants only followed the emperor's word of mouth, praising Cui Xiang for his good management of Zhending Mansion. Take it to the next level.After the decree was announced, the servant went in and took a sip of tea, then left.

Under Cui Xiang's questioning, the servant accidentally revealed a piece of news. Among the people who came with them was a female official who went to the county government to pass the decree. The female official's name was Zhang Shi'er, Zhang Hou's younger sister.

After the servant left, Cui Xiang went back to the study and sat silent for a long time.

Cheng Daotong coughed and rubbed his nose. The smell of wormwood made him very uncomfortable, but he couldn't open his mouth: "Master Cui, in the opinion of the lower officials, the emperor ordered the servants to deliver a decree to appease Mr. Cui. A few days ago, Zheng Tixing wrote to the emperor, requesting that those involved in the Fuke case be severely punished, and also participated in a copy of Cui Fuzun. The emperor suppressed the memorial, most likely because he was dissatisfied with Zheng Tixing's escalation of the situation."

"I'm afraid it's not that simple." Li Heng said worriedly, "The emperor sent someone to pass the decree, one is to appease, and the other is to warn. Otherwise, the emperor can just suppress the memorial of Zheng's punishment, why bother to make people come forward?" Are you sure?"

"The lower officials don't agree with Li Heng's words." Xu Heguang refuted Li Heng very dissatisfied. He felt that Li Heng was afraid that the world would not be chaotic. Cui Fuzun's respect..."

"Don't talk about it." Cui Xiang waved his hand, suddenly coughed violently, took a sip of tea and suppressed it, "Li Tuiguan's words are somewhat reasonable, the emperor's move is a blow to this official. Just now the servant also said, The person who delivered the decree to Xia Xiang has the decree himself."

(End of this chapter)